Sunitinib (sutent) is licensed for use in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumours.
The Department is currently considering referring Sunitinib for renal cell carcinoma to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for appraisal.
In the meantime, it is for local primary care trusts to decide whether to make Sunitinib available to patients. In doing so, they need to take into account the available evidence. It is not acceptable for national health service organisations to refuse to fund a treatment simply because it has not been appraised by NICE.